Some movies never have enough time to tell their full story. Behind the scenes, there is plenty of scrapped material and lore that are nixed for the sake of runtime. And to the audience, they catch a part of a bigger glimpse of a larger story.
However, while many movies might not get a chance on the big screen again, their stories can still find new life in other ways such as with comic adaptations. Through these new avenues, fans learn more about the world or characters they love. Likewise, they let writers explore story ideas the source material didn't or never had time to.
10 Die Hard Lives Again
The Die Hard franchise never took off after the first movie. However, the series earned another chance with the miniseries Die Hard: Year One. The comic takes place before the first movie, with John McClane still earning his stripes as an officer. However, he'd soon get his opportunity as it seems he has always had a bad habit of being roped into bad situations.
From stopping a terrorist attack on a yacht to solving a city-wide blackout, John McClane has had quite the career on his hands. The comic is rough around the edges at points, but the story shines in many regards. While the Die Hard series remains dormant, maybe one day it will come back with a vengeance.
9 John Wick Hits Book Syndication
The audience knows very little about John Wick despite being the movies' protagonist, yet they still feel the impact he has on the world from the way other characters talk about him. The prequel comic allows fans to learn more about the feared Baba Yaga.
The comic follows his first vendetta, how he became a part of the criminal underworld, and how he started to earn his reputation. The story is not as tense as in the movies, but the comic still has some good action and gives readers a preview of more of the criminal underworld's underbelly.
8 Bill & Ted Have a Most Excellent Comic
Bill and Ted have traveled all over time, but now they've found themselves in the world of comics with a miniseries called Bill and Ted's Excellent Comic Book. The comic began as an adaptation of Bill & Ted: Bogus Journey, but it quickly evolved into another continuation of the story.
The comic is cheesy and weird, but so are all of Bill & Ted's radical adventures. It still carries the Bill & Ted charm and feels right at home with the original movies. While not perfect, the message it carries is timeless: be excellent to one another.
7 The Wizard of Oz Heads For the Emerald City Once More
The Wizard of Oz not only made an impact on the film industry but the comic book industry as well. The Marvelous Wizard of Oz, based on the MGM film, would mark the first time DC and Marvel would collaborate on a comic.
Despite its history, the comic is still a fun adaptation of the film, full of the kind of charm that can only come from The Bronze Age of comics. Though, for those who want more adventures in Oz, Marvel released another Oz comic in 2009 that adapts 6 of the 14 Wizard of Oz books.
6 Sonic Blurs the Line Between His Movies
Sonic is no stranger to the world of comics. From his 24-year run with Archie to his current IDW series, Sonic has a stable career in print, but 2022 marked the first time the comics adapted the blue blur's movie counterpart. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill is an anthology set before the second movie. The comic answers many lingering questions from the movie but shows how the characters' lives have changed. It's a short read, but hopefully, readers won't speed through it.
5 Dark Crystal Sheds New Light on Thra
When The Dark Crystal ended, the movie left its audience with a promise of a new world, a new beginning. The Power of the Dark Crystal picks up a hundred years after the original movie. The land was prospering, and Gelflings have returned, but the land is plagued by plague and famine.
A Fireling comes to the Gelflings in hopes of saving her dying world with a shard of the Crystal. With the Crystal shattered once again, the stars tell a prophecy, one where one world must die for the other to live. The issues are engaging and give life to the screenplay that would never hit theaters because of the first movie's poor box office. This comic stands as a real hidden gem.
4 Back to the Future Returns the Past to the Present
Doc and Marty aren't free from the timeline's snare yet. The movie's credits may have rolled in 1990, but IDW has stepped in 2015 to give fans a bigger glimpse of the characters' future. The series began with a collection of short stories, mostly of Doc telling his kids of his time traveling adventures that fill in missing scenes from the movies.
Starting in Issue #6, the story continues where the movies left off, with Marty missing Doc and the thrill of time travel. From there, the characters travel to 2035, meet another time traveler trying to steal the flux capacitor, etc. Fans of the movie should give the series a watch. After all, time waits for no one.
3 Labyrinth Ensnares Fans Once Again
Labyrinth has had many great comic adaptations over the years from Return to the Labyrinth to a comic special in 2017. However, Labyrinth: Coronation takes the spot on the list as it recalls how Jareth became the Goblin King. As the movie's events unfold, Jareth tells Toby a story, one he claims has a stronger protagonist than Sarah.
The story follows Maria, a woman who too ran the Labyrinth after her husband wished her son away to the Owl King. Though the Labyrinth looks different, its rules (or lack thereof) have not changed, and the stakes are still high. The comic has amazed readers with the ideas it brings to one of Jim Henson's most intriguing and mysterious worlds.
2 Ghostbusters is a Specter-cle to Behold
The Ghostbusters never have a dull moment in their line of work. IDW's ongoing Ghostbusters comic stands as a worthy continuation to Harrold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd's passion project, expanding upon the foundation they set back in the 80s while remaining faithful to its roots. The comic is full of sharp writing and strong characters.
However, the series is not only a tribute to the movies but the entire franchise with appearances and references from The Real Ghostbusters to Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. The series is a love letter to the Ghostbusters world, and any fan should try and trap a copy for their collection.
1 Star Wars Reaches For the Stays and Beyond
Star Wars comics are in no short supply. Companies have produced comics about the series since the original trilogy, and Disney has continued to produce them after buying the franchise in 2012. Regardless of canonicity, readers have plenty of material to sink their teeth into.
The series of comics is impressive for both its variety and the sheer scale of the expanded universe it spawned. While not all of the comics are great, many are. The comics have attracted a dedicated fanbase, which speaks volumes about the impact they have had on the franchise.